Bright blue skies yawned above her as she strolled down the sidewalk of her small town winter wonderland. She had been born and raised in Hardwick, Massachusetts the entire seventeen years of her life. Katie Katterin lived with her older brother and sister since her parents had died in a car accident when she was four. Keely Katterin was approaching twenty five, and had recently become engaged to a young man from her catering business. Kevin Katterin was rapidly approaching his thirtieth birthday, and had been married and widowed.

Kevin was a resource manager for a local industrial farm, and often came home far too exhausted to speak to Keely and Katie. He had taken the emotional position as father for Katie, and was more often then not resentful of it. Katie felt as though he only had her in his house because he was bound by blood to care for her. She had worked her way through highschool in preparation of receiving a full scholarship to a college, to allow her to unburden her older brother.

This leads me back to Katie's trek through her home town winter wonderland. It was the last day of school before Christmas break, and Katie was wandering the sidewalk on her way home from Quabbin Regional High School. She didn't often head right home after school, and generally found herself dilly-dallying in town, stopping by the coffee shop with friends, doing her homework in the library. Her rather lovely Cape style house was often empty until Keely got home from work, around five or six.

Above her head the blue sky formed a dome of eternity, and she tilted her head up and closed her eyes. The air was brisk, and it bore into her body like a thousand knives. She loved the cold weather, and she loved the smell of snow. She sent her mind spiraling back to before Kevin became emotionally closed off. The three of them would wake up on the morning of the first snow fall and go out in their pajamas to play in the fresh snowfall. Nowadays, Kevin didn't even leave his room without a tie.

A sound broke through her reverie, drawing her eyes back to earth. Before her sat her best friend, Mabel St. James, in her brand new, fire engine red Mustang. "Kit Kat?" Mabel asked, using her affectionate name for her best friend of seventeen years. "Why are you standing in the middle of the sidewalk like that?"

Katie looked down and realized that she had dropped her books on the ground to outstretch her hands, and closed her eyes to the sky. "Just thinking," Katie supplied, quietly.

Mabel St. James had known Katie Katterin since they had been babies. Mabel's mother was Janet Katterin's best friend, since they were children as well. After Janet died, Mary Anne St. James never spoke of her again. Whenever Mabel would mention her name, Mary Anne's eyes would fill with sadness, and she would change the subject. Mabel's father was a contractor that often drove back and forth from New York, and would usually spend nights there, sometimes entire weeks.

She had never wanted anything she couldn't have, including new cars, clothes, and games. Katie was exactly the opposite. She had grown up without anything, and she seemed content. She usually wore hand-me-downs from Keely, or even Mabel. Her books were a million years old, and her computer was more of a word processor. But Mabel had never heard Katie complain at anything, ever. She never walked through the mall, ranting about how much she wanted this, or that. She simply smiled as Mabel would drop five hundred dollars of her father's money on a jacket she would only wear once.

When Mabel had gotten her first car, she had felt terrible that Katie didn't have one at all. But when Mabel tried to explain this to Katie, Katie had smiled and said that it wasn't important to her if she had a flashy car. She had everything she wanted, a family, and a good friend. Then she smiled brighter and added that if she had such a great friend, that happened to have a flashy car, it was double the fun, because she wouldn't have to drive, and she could still ride around in a flashy sports car.

"Get in, Kit Kat," Mabel said, popping the handle on the Mustang. "I'll drive you home."

Katie slid into the black leather seat, and leaned back in the blast of heat. "Thanks," she replied, deciding not to tell Mabel that she had no interest in going home. Maybe this was fate's way of telling her she needed to clean her room.

Mabel shifted the car into drive and pulled away from the curb. The Mustang engine whined lightly in the cold weather, but otherwise, rode like a dream. "Looking forward to Christmas?" Mabel asked, turning down the hip- chic rock music that was playing on one of the local radio stations.

"Keely got a bonus at work, so she said she'd be able to buy me something that I really wanted for Christmas this year," Katie said calmly, looking out the window. Mabel glanced to her best friend, wondering what it was that Katie truly wanted. "I'll probably ask her for some new clothes, like, store-bought, with price tags and everything. I want jeans that fit me." Mabel smiled. She'd never actually seen Katie in jeans that fit. Keely was slightly larger in the hips and waist then Katie, so all her jeans were baggy and loose fitting. They usually hung around Katie's hip-bones, which was the style nowadays, but it was obvious that they weren't new.

"Let's go to the mall!" Mabel exclaimed, her eyes bright. "We can get some ideas!" Before Katie could say that she wasn't interested in shopping today, Mabel had veered off the road, and jumped onto the highway that would deliver them to the outlet mall.

As soon as the car took the turn onto the deserted highway, Katie's breath caught in her throat. On the side of the road, tilted directly into a tree, was a blue 1976 Trans Am. "Pull over!" Katie said, unfastening her seatbelt. Mabel did as she was instructed, slowing to a halt and pulling off the road a safe distance.

"Is that Rojer Kincaid's car?" Mabel asked, as Katie vaulted from the Mustang. Mabel unfastened her seat belt, and followed in her best friend's wake.

"Rojer!" Katie called, flying toward the car, barely leaving footprints on the snow. From the look of the path, the car careened over the median, and into the tree on the opposite side of the road. "Rojer!" Katie said, finally reaching the drivers side of the car. The young man was in the seat, his head resting on the wheel, his eyes closed, bleeding from a deep cut on his forehead. "Rojer?" Katie asked, her voice soothing, and soft. She pulled open the door, and reached for him.

Rojer Kincaid was a football player that had a deep side. He was in the drama club, and American Sign Language. He came from the wrong side of the tracks, so to speak, and worked his way up. He had bought his Trans Am when he first got his license, and had restored it to its natural state. Rojer dated the editor of the school news, Daphne Mitchell, and often spent his Saturday nights at the bowling alley, where she was the Deejay.

Her gloved hand brushed his cheek, and she pulled the glove off. His skin was still warm, which meant he hadn't been there long. Mabel reached her, and leaned over. "Is he?" she asked, her voice trailing off.

Katie reached out and touched his bloody forehead. Her fingers tingled as she touched him. Beneath her hand, the dried blood vanished, and the cut sealed. "Holy crap," Mabel whispered from behind Katie.

Beneath her hand, Rojer stirred, and his eyes fluttered. "Rojer?" Katie asked, her voice soft. He groaned. "Can you move?" He didn't respond. "Mabel, call 911." Mabel backed off and pulled out her cell phone.

Rojer straightened his neck, and lifted his eyes to Katie. "Kit Kat?" he asked, his blue eyes exploring hers. "What happened?"

"I have no idea, Rojer. We've called the cops, they'll be here soon," Katie whispered, ducking down to brush sandy hair from his eyes. "Do you feel all right?"

"I can wiggle my toes, and fingers," Rojer responded, lifting his head. Katie sighed. She'd known Rojer since they were young. He grew up a few doors down from her, in the "poor" section of town. Their fathers had met where they worked at the factory on the other side of town, they had played together, grown up together, and when he came to the high school, hung out together. "Kit Kat," Rojer moaned, straightening his neck, it cracked loudly and he sighed. "I thought I was dead."

An ambulance whined in the distance, drawing Katie's attention from Rojer's face. Mabel stood behind her, ankle deep in snow, her frizzy red hair forming a halo around her head. She had her face tilted toward the sound of the ambulance, her store bought tan clashing violently with the white snow. Mabel was dressing in slim cut black pants, and a maroon blouse, with a long black coat and black boots that came up her calves, she had a black cashmere scarf wrapped around her neck, and trailing down her back.

The ambulance pulled up, right behind Mabel's Mustang. Rojer leaned back in the seat, groaning as he cracked his back. "Go home, Kit Kat," he whispered.

"I'll come to the hospital with you," Katie replied, ducking back down to rest her knees on the step of his car.

But Rojer shook his head, and the corners of his lips turned up slightly. "Go home, Kit Kat," he whispered. Katie stepped back as the EMTs came in with the board. She watched as they loaded him on, and carried him away.

When they had slammed the doors to the ambulance, and pulled away from the side of the road, Mabel had turned back to Katie. "I'll take you home, Kit Kat."

Katie sat on the counter in her functional, utilitarian kitchen, a mug of hot chocolate sitting in her hands. She hadn't moved since she sat down, almost twenty minutes before. She hadn't even bought the mug to her lips. She sat staring out the window on the opposite side of the kitchen, where a light snow was falling.

The garage door opened, and Keely Katterin stepped in, her arms laden with grocery bags. "Did you hear about Rojer?" Keely asked, smiling at her sister.

"I found him," Katie replied, not moving her eyes from the window.

Keely passed in front of her, allowing her blue eyes to flick to her sister momentarily. Katie didn't move her gaze. "The EMTs said that two girls were with him, in a Mustang. I thought Mabel drove a Camaro."

"Early Christmas gift," Katie responded, in a monotone voice.

Keely set the gallon of milk on the top shelf of the fridge, and closed the door. She leaned against the appliance, and said, "Is everything all right, Kit Kat?"

"I touched him, and he healed," Katie whispered, finally flicking her gaze to her sister. Keely straightened slightly. "The cut healed, and he woke up. I touched him." Keely turned her back to Katie, and pulled a jar of peanut butter from the brown bag. She walked across the kitchen and put the jar in a cabinet. "Keely," Katie said, her voice shaking, "What happened with Rojer? Why did I heal him?"

Keely turned to look at her sister, barely seventeen, with terror in her eyes. She had watched her fingers heal one of her oldest friends, and she had no idea what had happened to cause it. "Katie," Keely whispered, coming across the kitchen. "We need to talk." Katie's eyes filled with tears. "You were born different then everyone else." Keely was quiet for a moment, searching for the right words. "You were born into something, something that you may not want to face right now. But the time has come to tell you, we can't hide it anymore." Katie was shaking, her hands were cold, and her eyes were filled with tears. "You have a bit of magic in you, Kate. It's in your blood. You're a witch."